I have a bunch of signed NASCAR stuff that I'm willing to part with rather than let them collect dust (and I need the money). How does EBay work? Is it easy to list stuff on there? Anyone ever sold anything on it?

We buy and sell on ebay. It is really easy. I would suggest signing up for an ebay account (and a PayPal account--both are free). There are links at the site that will help you (Ebay University, etc.). Look for things similar to what you want to sell. You might want to try buying a few little things before selling. That will help you get a feel for things, and it will give you at least a few feedback points. Good feedback is critical.

There are a lot of things I could tell you about selling on ebay, but the best thing to do right now is just sign up and then look around and get used to it.

I have a bunch of signed NASCAR stuff that I'm willing to part with rather than let them collect dust (and I need the money). How does EBay work? Is it easy to list stuff on there? Anyone ever sold anything on it?

I've been making a living on ebay for 5 years now, been selling for 10.
I sell old books and other printed materials... "ephemera".

A few things to consider (but certainly not all!!!!):
Your TOS.. Terms of Service. Return policy? Insurance required? Methods of payment
accepted, etc.
How you will ship. Packing materials should be on hand before the first item is listed.
Ebay buyers expect lightning fast shipping with tiny handling fees.
What you are willing to sell for. I still use the "Start at a low price and pray" method,
which sometimes gets me some sweet ending prices. But if you MUST have $50, better
start it at $50.

And... is there a demand for what you have? Do some searching on ebay first.

...And... is there a demand for what you have? Do some searching on ebay first.

That is one of the things I like about ebay. You can sometimes find things at sales in your area that won't sell because no one in your area is interested (or they have a dozen of them already), but they are in demand in other areas of the country (or world--don't be afraid to sell internationally). By the same token, you can also sometimes find good buys on ebay on things you could sell in your area.

Sometimes you just luck out. A few years ago James bought a bronze box at a yard sale for around 50 cents. We sold it for around $80. Another time we bought a Big Boy bank at a little shop an hour or so away from us. When I looked it up on ebay we knew that we had paid too much, as they were selling on there for about what we had paid, and sometimes even for less. However, some people started bidding on ours and we ended up doubling our money when someone in the UK bought it.

many countries will impose a tax if the item being sold/shipped is registered as a business sale. if you do not state that the item is a gift, you have to either cover the tax yourself, or include the cost in the description of the shipping costs.

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The taxes imposed by customs are the responsibility of the recipient.
You don't have to pay the tax as seller, or include it in the description, either.

HOWEVER... if you ship internationally via UPS, they will add a fee... a hefty fee...
to the total shipping price. It is because they hand the package off to another
company and have to pay them to deliver it inside the other country.

I send packages all over the world fairly regularly and never pay a cent in customs fees.

yes, you're right that the seller doesn't have to pay it; the buyer does. but that's why i said you should mention it as part of the shipping costs or agree to ship it as a gift.
to make the sale in good faith, with no hidden costs.
if it seems like you're scamming someone, they could give you negative feedback.

with all due respect, grillingfool, not mentioning costs is shady business. it's the kind of business practices to be cautious of on ebay.

i sold a wireless headset via ebay to a canuck, and when they shipping company wanted the tax from him, he refused the shipment and threatened to give me negative feedback. i refunded his money without question, even though i was in the right. feedback is an entirely arbitrary thing.
then the shipping company wanted the tax from me, as well as the cost to send it back. i refused to pay it, and one day the headset showed up on my doorstep. i've never heard anything from the shipping company, nor the canadian gov't. on the matter, but i'm sure someday they'll be after a pound of my flesh.

__________________
The past is gone it's all been said.
So here's to what the future brings,
I know tomorrow you'll find better things

I'll make it easy, I won't ship internationally, even Canada. I don't even think anyone outside of the US would want this stuff anyway. I took pictures today and didn't realize how many autographed items I have. Hopefully there will be a few NASCAR fans looking for some older signed stuff.

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buckytom, you sent the headset by UPS or someone other than the US Postal Service, right?

What you encountered is pretty much ONLY A PROBLEM WITH CANADA... and only if
you ship by someone other than the USPS.

The fee you mention is totally different than the tax possibly imposed by Customs.

For example, let's use your headphones. Say they sold for $100.
Ship via UPS: UPS charges what they call a "brokerage fee". This is to cover their costs
in moving an item across the border and what Canada, for example, might charge them.
A few years back, this fee was at least $45.00.
IT IS NOT A TAX IMPOSED BY THE COUNTRY. It might include a bond to cover the possibility of the tax, but it isn't the tax.
If I remember correctly, Canadians generally have to pay the GST tax of 5% or so, and possibly some other provincial taxes, but that is about it.

Ship the same package via USPS: NO FEE IS CHARGED BY USPS.
(Other than postage, of course.)
IF the package is above a certain value, which varies by country, the recipient MIGHT be charged an import or duty tax.
HOWEVER.... it is THEIR responsibility to know this, and be prepared to pay it.

So, if you sell on ebay, particularly collectibles, you are quite possibly
severely limiting your potential profits by a large amount. Right now, the
dollar is at historic lows, so buyers in other countries are getting great deals.
I ship A LOT to Australia and Canada. If you remove their bids from the items' final selling price, it is often a 15-75% reduction in profit.

thanks grillingfool. you've jogged my memory, and are right. it did ship ups, and i remember when i brought it to the shipping depot, the guy asked if it were a business transaction, or a gift. i asked about the difference, and he said something about a canadian tax, but it might not apply here. he didn't explain it well, but he gave me a price to ship it, and i thought it was done from there.

later, the buyer complained that there was an extra fee being imposed; i vaguely remember something about a brokerage, and then you know the rest.

for me, it was a one time deal, and i learned that canada was a p.i.t.a..

i've heard that the same thing has happened in other countries from some co-workers; i'll try to find out where.

btw, i've never had a problem buying anything.

__________________
The past is gone it's all been said.
So here's to what the future brings,
I know tomorrow you'll find better things